Turning back to Ichimi, I continued my indictment.
“Karl was the one who made me realize it. He said that he and his master were waiting impatiently for the Elders to come, to see Phoenix, Talanus, and Ysis fall.”
As I was saying that, an idea came to me. It was pure speculation, but after all, I’d started in and I had to, at all costs, push him to making a mistake and admitting his crime, as Karl had done.
“The blood trafficking is only a pretext. All you wanted was their rank, for you know full well that to become an Elder, you have to have filled a leader role. And what’s better than being at the head of their territory, which, after what I’ve heard, is the most powerful in this country and, incidentally, in the most powerful country in the world! You are Karl Sarlsberg’s creator, and you ordered him to get close to Phoenix so you would know where we were in our investigation, so you could continue digging a pit for him to fall in, him and his masters! But it’s over! Your desire to rule over the world ends now, because you know perfectly well that I’m telling the truth!”
The incredible silence my tirade commanded was broken by a stifled howl followed by several more. Before anyone could stop her, Kaiko sent the guards surrounding her flying into the air and shrieked, “All our work? Our dream reduced to nothing! Die, dirty human!”
As she prepared to run toward us, Phoenix tried to protect me by pushing me away so he could take care of her himself, but the red veil fell over my eyes, and anger washed over me. At the same time, as quick as lightning and with all my strength, I pushed Phoenix away and got out my last knife. Taken by surprise by the force of my push, my boss found himself on the ground as I readied myself . . .
Stopped midflight by the blade I’d thrown at her heart, Kaiko made an utterly grotesque grimace as she realized the seriousness of her wound. She looked at me, bewildered, and said words I would never forget, before she collapsed for the last time.
“By a human . . .”
I’d killed my first vampire.
As his lover’s body decomposed into dust in front of our very eyes, Ichimi finally lost control of his emotions and completely unmasked himself. A veritable incarnation of cruelty and violence, he turned to Talanus and spat in his direction. The guards holding him had real difficulty keeping him back, and the ones who had been wounded by Kaiko (but had recovered enough to fight again) came forward as reinforcements.
Still struggling, he stared at Talanus with his murderous gaze.
“You are not worthy of the honor bestowed upon you. I should have been in your place! You got this position because you are the oldest and that bitch Ysis has the gift of foresight! You knew that I wanted more than anything to have my place among the Greats one day and that did not stop you from strutting around me with all your characteristic arrogance and vanity! I managed to put up with it until I discovered that it was in fact Finn who had used his influence to make you the one the Elders chose.”
He spat at Talanus again before turning to Finn with absolute rage. At that moment, one could have wondered if he’d really learned the values of Bushido and the code of conduct of true samurais. For the time being, anyway, they were far from his mind.
Finn betrayed no emotion when he answered. “I knew about your ambitions and your thirst for power. The circle of the Elders acts in the best interests of our species, not to satisfy personal glory. Unlike you, Talanus was worthy of becoming one of them one day.”
Overwhelmed by the violence of frustration accumulated over centuries, Ichimi’s true madness broke out.
“You are so pathetic, Finn! You think you are the wisest of us all, but you always act in your best interests, moving your pawns around as you like. Don’t think you can make me believe otherwise. If you have refused to become one of the Greats, it is because you only want to follow your own rules and ambitions. What really motivates you is the desire to rule the world! You cannot reproach me for wanting to follow your example!”
The whole hall was paying careful attention to the criminal’s revelations; he didn’t seem to feel any remorse, lost in the madness that had completely put him over the edge.
“I swore to do everything to destroy you. I waited patiently for the right time, using my progeny to see my plan through, all while keeping an eye on your angel’s investigations. But I did not anticipate your human sticking her nose in our business despite our attempts to eliminate her.”
In the deathly stillness that followed, Egire walked to the center of the room and prepared to announce his verdict, after turning to his companions whose nods of approval answered his silent question.
“All of you here are witness to the confessions of Ichimi Ritsuye about his involvement in the blood trafficking that almost revealed our existence to the human world. As for his accusations against one of the oldest of our kind, Finn Jorgenson, whose loyalty to our laws goes without saying, those are just the ravings of a man whose depths of madness know no equal except the thirst for power that has motivated him for centuries. Consequently, we, the Elders, by our authority to render justice and pronounce sentences, declare that only the true guilty parties in this business will be punished in proportion with the seriousness of the charges laid against them. We dismiss the charges weighed against Talanus, Ysis, and their angel, Phoenix, given that the matter at hand has been resolved without calling into question their duties or competencies. Ichimi Ritsuye and Karl Sarlsberg, you will be detained and questioned by us before your execution through decapitation. I therefore declare this trial over.”
A thunder of applause welcomed his verdict, and even the most skeptical joined in the general jubilation and relief brought about by the end of this somber story: the vampire community was safe, but numerous innocent humans had lost their lives. Justice had finally been served, and the criminals were going to pay a high price . . .
The nightmare of the last few months of inquiry and anxiety was finally over. An enormous weight lifted from my shoulders, and I was tempted to sit down on the ground to recover from this eventful night. I’d played the part of a wannabe lawyer, and my strategy of destabilizing the accused had worked beyond my wildest dreams. Kaiko had died at my hand; Ichimi was going to have a very hard time of it before being judged and executed by the tribunal of the Elders along with Karl.
Talanus, Ysis, and Phoenix were not only safe, but also returned to their respective duties. It was understood that since they’d been set up, no one could consider them incompetent, just demonstrating a naive friendship for people who didn’t deserve it. In short, they’d been saved, and that was all that mattered.
There was only one little problem to take care of.
Egire had ordered Karl and Ichimi to be taken to a dungeon until the torture chamber was ready. Night wasn’t over yet, so there was still time to make them regret ever having been born. However, I doubted that Phoenix’s former best friend, in the state he was in, would be able to articulate the smallest sound. But fine . . . I had other worries on my mind.
All the Elders had formed a circle and were consulting each other to make the second crucial decision of the evening: the decision about my survival.
My boss had stepped close to me and didn’t miss a single word from this spectacle, even though he couldn’t hear words exchanged at an inhumanly low level of sound. Thus I was flanked by Phoenix on my right and François on my left, both supporting me with their soothing presence.
Too human and too emotional, however, that wasn’t enough to stop my every limb from trembling, and I had to seize their hands and squeeze them hard to reassure myself a little. They returned the gesture, taking care to not break my bones, which touched me greatly. Tears in my eyes, and despite the indiscreet ears all around us, I said, “I’ve never been as happy as I’ve been since I met you. If this goes badly, have no regrets, because I have none. I love you, both of you.”
I neither heard François’s response nor felt the pressure of Phoenix’s hand on mine, for among the Elders, one was turned in ou
r direction . . . the woman-child, and she stared at me unrelentingly.
I had nothing left to lose. I returned her scrutinizing gaze for what seemed like an infinite amount of time before she turned away to murmur something in Egire’s ear. When the circle of Elders dispersed and its members left the hall, Egire came toward us with all the majesty that his age and rank conferred upon him. Finn, meanwhile, had joined our group and was waiting for his “little brother” with barely concealed impatience.
“The tribunal of the Elders has made its decision concerning you,” Egire declared.
Between that sentence and the next, I thought my heart had stopped beating.
“You came here uninvited, you attacked several members of our species, and killed one of them,” he said icily.
Good grief. I was going to die. Me, who wanted to stay courageous. I felt the ground give way beneath my feet. My two friends fortunately caught me just in time and helped me to stand up and keep my dignity before my gruesome fate. Shaking my head to recover, I once again looked at Egire’s ageless face, and I noticed that he was examining me with undisguised curiosity. Without hesitation, my cheeks burned red.
“That again? I’ve never seen a human blush so quickly. Your circulatory system must be of an exceptional fluidity,” he said rapturously, forgetting that my blood flow wouldn’t be extraordinary at all if he killed me.
“Egire! Will you please get to the point. I see Talanus and Ysis waiting for us. Perhaps you could cut it short so we can all go relax and have a drink?” Finn grumbled.
Finn’s offhandedness about my upcoming execution pained me. He didn’t care one jot. Nice . . .
“Oh, certainly . . . Where was I? Oh yes. Upon reflection, your actions were guided only by your loyalty to Phoenix, the very man who imposed this servile existence on you. By acting in this way, you have contributed to reestablishing the balance that preserves our Secret and preventing a war between our two peoples. Rather than a warning or a sanction, we offer you all our thanks. You are free,” he concluded, smiling warmly.
Once the shock of that statement had passed, the joy of being alive washed over me, and I couldn’t help crying in François’s arms as he held me tight against him and laughed. Then he whispered in my ear that he had to join Talanus and Ysis and thus abandon me, as Phoenix and Finn already had. The vampires were all talking to each other. Well.
“Nice . . . ,” I muttered.
“You do not make a sector leader wait, especially when it is Talanus.”
Egire had stayed behind, and that explained why all the curious vampires—who were congregating and staring at me like a bone to chew on—hadn’t yet gotten their hooks in me to make me tell them the whole story.
“This is the first time I have seen a human show such courage. You did not hesitate to confront a hundred of my fellows to set the record straight. I must say that I am impressed.”
Getting only my modest silence in return, he continued.
“You could be useful to us, you know. The other Elders would agree to bring into their service people as devoted and competent as you. Your humanity would bring a fresh perspective to our work and permit us to imagine our actions under all possible angles.”
I had the presence of mind to close my mouth quickly to not come across as a half-wit, but his proposal was enough to surprise anyone.
Discreetly, I cast a glance at my boss and noticed that he was staring at me intensely; he’d heard everything.
“I’m flattered by your offer, but I must decline it. Phoenix would be lost without me,” I said, smiling, as much for Egire as for the main interested party.
After all, with everything I’d gone through, I felt honor-bound to be honest.
“There’s one other thing. I know that you’re protecting your species, and I admire your determination to make everyone obey the Great Change. But I think that I would have difficulty being good at the position you’re offering me, knowing that a number of humans don’t have the benefit of living in places where the change is applicable. At least, here with Phoenix, I have the opportunity to serve vampires, and to help save lives.”
Egire stared at me for a moment, as if to size me up. He must not have been expecting me to be so direct with him. “I understand. You are a brave woman . . . You would make a very good vampire.”
With those final words, he rewarded me with a nod, small but very respectful, that set off more commentary from our curious observers, before leaving me alone to face vultures worse than the paparazzi.
When Egire stepped away, a whirlwind of faces surrounded me. Every one of them wanted to have all the details about the matter and my role in it; however, their questions were incomprehensible because they were all talking over each other. Overwhelmed by the sudden tide of vampires, I didn’t know how to respond. I was starting to get disheartened when Phoenix cleared a path to me and grabbed me by the arm to pull me away from my delirious fans.
With a protective and threatening attitude that dissuaded anyone from pursuing the interrogation, Phoenix brought me before Talanus and Ysis and greeted them respectfully.
“If you no longer have need of us tonight, we shall leave with Finn and François.”
The Roman general seemed still in shock from his closest friend’s betrayal, and it was actually his wife who answered us.
“Go rest. You have earned it.”
Ysis approached me and took my hands.
“Your loyalty and courage during all this have been admirable, and that is why we all owe our lives to Samantha Jones. For a vampire, this is extremely important, and we shall not forget it. Go in peace. The Night protects you.”
As if in a dream, she pulled Talanus away and disappeared from my field of vision. Finn yawned pointedly. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I would like to leave here and relax with a nice glass of blood and a soft couch. Shall we?”
The idea of lingering any longer was far from our minds, so we left, all four of us, without worrying about the vampires following us and asking us one stupid question after another. Phoenix never let go of my arm.
When we reached the car, François wanted us to give him a minute to put a blanket down over the back seat, which had been stained by Karl’s blood. Finn, though, didn’t care, and climbed into the front passenger seat. It was time for me to brave looking at my boss.
I didn’t even know where to begin, so I just offered Phoenix an embarrassed smile.
“I—”
But he interrupted, pressing his index finger over my lips.
“Not now,” he said simply.
He pulled me toward him, stroking my hair. This simple gesture permitted me to completely let go of all my tension, closing my eyes and abandoning myself to his protecting arms.
“Thank you, Sam. You are right . . . I would be lost without you.”
Nestling against him, I murmured, “I couldn’t stay behind, doing nothing. I would be lost without you too.”
In that intimate moment, I felt much lighter, and confident about the new future that was taking shape before us.
“If you can finally decide to get in this horrible Camaro, maybe we can hope to get home at some point.” Finn had opened his car door and was muttering exasperatedly.
Once I was comfortably settled in the car and Kerington was far behind us, exhaustion suddenly weighed heavily on me; my eyelids didn’t want to stay open anymore. I tried in vain to fight sleep, but it wanted to take me away and I sank into it little by little. In the fog that was enveloping me, I felt Phoenix pull me toward him so I could lie down, my head on his knees. I fell asleep to his fingers slowly caressing my hair. I was freed from my anxiety and all dark thoughts for the first time in days.
After our return to the manor, I must say that my days passed much more peacefully. I wasn’t stressed, I was even happy to resume my unique nocturnal life with my boss. Finn, thinking he’d fulfilled his fatherly duties by flying to Phoenix’s rescue, had left to go to the Amazon, which was hostile terr
itory for a vampire and a challenge for him to explore. His departure saddened me, for as strange as seemed, I also felt great admiration for him—not for his powers, but for the concern he’d shown Phoenix. His attitude throughout his brief stay in Scarborough had been that of a father . . . a surly one, but a father nonetheless, and I couldn’t help but smile at the affection plainly visible on my boss’s face in the presence of his creator. And to think it had begun badly between them.
François had thought to call and reassure Angela when we returned, for I was too exhausted to remember anything, and I didn’t emerge from my sleep until very late in the afternoon the following day. As I opened my eyes, I thanked heaven for having such good friends, for I woke up comfortably settled into my own soft bed, a note on my nightstand telling me not to worry about Angela. While waiting for sunset, I called my friend at the bookshop, and we chatted for two hours about our adventures from the previous night, finding it hard to believe that all had ended so well. François was going to see her that evening, and by her own admission, the wait was killing her. I didn’t dare ask her how far their relationship had gone. I doubted that since it was so new it had already become sexual in nature, but it was possible, and they knew how to be careful.
Anyway, I wasn’t the most hesitant, far from it. Phoenix didn’t understand what was happening to François, and several times I’d distracted him when he began to lecture François. However, my French friend quickly had enough and dug in his heels.
“That is all well and good for you to say when you yourself are too blind to understand what is happening to you.”
That outburst had quickly turned sour: Phoenix’s fangs were out, and he adopted an attack position to face François, ready to let rip. I’d had my fill of vampire battles, and this time, I left the room, passing in front of them like a fury.
Samantha Watkins: Chronicles of an Extraordinary Ordinary Life (Samantha Watkins Series Book 1) Page 38